Get Featured on Analog.Cafe!

I am so pleased to announce an open call for stories, essays, opinions, articles, and reviews on Analog.Cafe!

Analog.Cafe is built around community support and participation. Over half of the articles published here are submissions from authors willing to share knowledge, experience, and creative expression using this platform.

In this article: How to get your article or essay featured on Analog.Cafe. Inclusive editorial process. Best presentation. What to write about. Getting accepted. Next steps. Support this blog & get premium features with GOLD memberships!

How to get your article or essay featured on Analog.Cafe.

1) Sign up for a free Analog.Cafe account.

2) Open the Submission Composer tool and add your text and images. Feel free to edit styles add links, quotes, and full-width hi-res photographs.

3) Click “Submit for Review” — you’re done!

Your friendly text and photo editor, Dmitri (that’s me!), will have your article published within about a month. You can also request a sooner publication date, we’ll do our best!

Inclusive editorial process.

Getting your written work published on Analog.Cafe is a collaborative process, not a competition.

Whether you come from an English-speaking country or practice English as a second language, I work to bring out the best in every submission. All editorial changes are precisely balanced between preserving the integrity of your work, readability, and visual appeal. You will always be made aware of these changes and have a chance to request edits or decline publication.

All submissions are accepted via the Submission Composer app, a custom editor where you can write or paste your text, upload photos, add styles and links, and change image positions to suit your preferences. Composer renders your submission exactly how it would appear once published to give you more creative control over your work’s presentation.

Best presentation.

Lots of blogs accept submissions but only Analog.Cafe can provide the ad-free, fast, adaptive display that your work deserves.

I built Analog.Cafe “from scratch” using my experience as a senior web developer at WebMD. It loads fast, looks great on mobile screens, and has a “dark mode.” This blog’s unique design will leave a lasting impression on your readers.

Your story won’t be polluted with ads, trackers, or spammy comments.

Above: “Humanidade,” submitted by Stefano Fristachi.

What to write about.

Analog.Cafe, publishes stories, essays, and articles. There is currently no photography-only section, thus your submission should be complemented with text. Here are some ideas you can pursue:

Gear review. A detailed, well-rounded overview of an old or new camera, emulsion, chemistry, or anything directly related to film photography. It should have all the main technical bits covered, like this review of Voigtländer Vitessa L or this one of Ricoh Caddy.

Film and camera field reports. Similar to gear reviews, but more casual. Kevan’s “California Desert, Polaroid Style,” “Kodak Ektachrome,” and “Neon Lights With CineStill 800T Film” do a great job showcasing the tools without going too much into detail, keeping the reading light and entertaining.

Experimental photography techniques. Robert’s “Through the Green Fuse” and Nikita’s “Sick and Tired” showcase strange and beautiful effects the analogue medium provides along with a backstory. Both essays have proven to be a delight to our readers.

Independent art careers, events, projects, personalities. Rick writes about his side hustle in “A Day in a Life of A-.” Vincent published “Open Your Eyes.” Theatre, stage, acting, dance, classical/hall and modern music are all worthy topics.

Film camera repair guides. “Building an Instax Pinhole Camera” does a little bit of technical overview, and the above-mentioned Vitessa L review goes over basic maintenance and some advanced repairs.

Life and film photography. Most of us think of it as a hobby, though for some, it ends up becoming an obsession, a therapy, or a profession. “Family Portraits to Live With,” “From Film to Digital, and Back Again,” and “Old Film and Life” are great examples of such writing.

Events, perspectives, documentaries. It could be a reflection on a changing neighbourhood, like in Tommy’s “Raincouver,” a reflection on the final year at a high school, or a documentary of Toronto’s Exhibition in full panoramic shots.

Female perspective. Women photographers have a unique way of seeing the world. I’d like to see more of it, especially in our male-dominated niche. “Purple Mood,” “Calm,” and “Dwell” are great examples of ladies answering the call for submissions.

Thoughts, experiments, and imagination. Abstract images often beg for interpretation, which a well-written essay could guide the reader. Lisa’s “Dwell” essay, accompanied by her haunting self-portraits, does that nicely.

Earth and sustainability. The topic of the century. An essay expressing thoughts on this worrying theme, like Maite’s “Of Pine Cones and Trees” or a field report like “Plastic Thailand,” will do well on Analog.Cafe.

Peoples’ and animals’ interactions with the urban landscape. A classic essay topic with a poetic twist of words makes the reader imagine they are a part of another world. Jackie’s “Bare by Light” is a fantastic example of such work. Betty does it well with another essay, “Soi Dogs.”

Traveller’s impressions of foreign landscapes and cultures. Another classic subject. While abundant, travel stories are still finding ample audience. We all choose our adventures a little differently; paired with beautiful images, like that of “Echoing Themes” by Andrew, they are a great read any day.

Nature. Fascinating, like “My Favourite Island,” published by a marine scientist, Ash, or puzzling like “Tropical Fruits.”

Poetry. It could be an original piece, like Natali’s “Hommage À Ma Mère,” or something from Creative Commons, like the one in “Poison Tree.”

Getting accepted.

If your article or essay is either about film photography or feature images created with analogue cameras, you’re well on the way to having it accepted and published.

Please make sure that your film scans and images are of the best quality available and not watermarked. Analog.Cafe already implements technology that discourages IP theft.

JPEG and PNG image formats are accepted up to 10MB in size. I recommend files that are at least 1800 pixels wide, though smaller formats can still be publishable.

Please make sure that your story is edited to the best of your ability for accuracy, style, and grammar. It can be prose (text paragraphs) or poetry but not Q&A and no point form.

Next steps.

☞ Need more info? Visit the “Call for Submissions” page.

☞ Ready to submit? Head over to the Submission Composer!